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[DonTom]

The one that comes out of the elcon is a SB-50, is there an adapter for that type of plug to go to the anderson port on the S/DS/SR/DSR ?  Thanks!

I doubt it. But you have two choices. Make your own adapter or use the SB50 as is and wire your own in to the battery contacts on your motor controller.


But either way, you will need a hydraulic crimping tool.


And to use the SB50, you can  buy them here .   I cannot remember if they come with the contacts, if not, you will need these.


-Don-  Reno, NV

[travbee]

Don - pics / explanation as to how you have your Elcon connected?

Did you cut the end off make a connector that goes right to the motor lugs?

[svelectric]

The one that comes out of the elcon is a SB-50, is there an adapter for that type of plug to go to the anderson port on the S/DS/SR/DSR ?  Thanks!

I doubt it. But you have two choices. Make your own adapter or use the SB50 as is and wire your own in to the battery contacts on your motor controller.


But either way, you will need a hydraulic crimping tool.


Excellent info thank you.  Do you happen to know of any good videos to get me started?  I imagine I can learn from that.  The crimper tool doesn't look too complex.  Like trav asked above, do/did you just snip off the SB50 and connect the SBS75X?

And to use the SB50, you can  buy them here .   I cannot remember if they come with the contacts, if not, you will need these.


-Don-  Reno, NV

[DonTom]

Excellent info thank you.  Do you happen to know of any good videos to get me started?  I imagine I can learn from that.  The crimper tool doesn't look too complex.  Like trav asked above, do/did you just snip off the SB50 and connect the SBS75X?

Best to NOT touch the SBS75X. You may want to use it someday with DelatQ chargers along with your other chargers, like I sometimes do and charge my SR at 10KW.


I wired in my own SB50 connectors, two of them, for two Elcons, direct to the battery contacts on top of the motor controller. You will see the heat sink fins, just behind the rear shock as you look up to the bottom of the rear fender. That is the motor controller.

Take off your seat and find its top. You will see five bolts on top. Three go to the motor and two are to the battery and are marked with "-" and "+".  That is the best way to do it. Connect you SB50 wires to those two.  I put a 30 amp fuse in series with each positive lead, more to protect the bike in case of a very unlikely dead short. Be sure the key is out and NOT  charging when you work on the bike. High voltage there if contactor is closed.


Be sure to use the OBC with your Elcons so you can remove your key while charging.


On both of my Zeros, I ran two wires each from the above terminals to two  SB50's that I mounted next to the passenger foot peg.


You want the SB 50's mounted close to your OBC inlet for the J-1772 adapter.


The stock output cable on the Elcons will barely reach these. So I made SB50 extensions that are around two feet long, makes it a lot easier to use, but not really necessary.   I used it for several weeks  before I made extensions for my Elcons that I keep with the chargers.


See attached for my two SB50's  location.  The red and black wires there go to the motor controller battery terminals. Not a difficult job.


Do NOT use thinner wires than I am using. That gauge or thicker is fine per each 3.3 KW charger. 


-Don-  Reno, NV

[travbee]

Super super helpful.

Thank you Don.

[Auriga]

I'll throw a warning in here that if you touch the controller bolts in any way, make sure they're torqued to correct spec with a torque wrench.

Last month we had a guy mess with those and burn his bike to the ground. Undertorqued they can cause arcing and fire. Overtorqued they cause controller damage and fire. Goldilocks of bolts. Expensive lesson too. Those controller bolts are one of the most likely reasons a Zero is catching fire.

[MVetter]

I'll throw a warning in here that if you touch the controller bolts in any way, make sure they're torqued to correct spec with a torque wrench.

Last month we had a guy mess with those and burn his bike to the ground. Undertorqued they can cause arcing and fire. Overtorqued they cause controller damage and fire. Goldilocks of bolts. Expensive lesson too. Those controller bolts are one of the most likely reasons a Zero is catching fire.

or the useless silicon wafers inside the sevcon wear out causing a short and burn the bike down


What evidence do you have that bolts being over or under-torqued caused a fire?

[DonTom]

or the useless silicon wafers inside the sevcon wear out causing a short and burn the bike down


What evidence do you have that bolts being over or under-torqued caused a fire?

I wondered the same. I didn't use a torque wrench on my Sevcon (AKA motor Controller) bolts and I don't even know if there is a published spec on such.


But common sense will get me close enough, IMO. And I did my SR a couple of years ago, my DS last year.


-Don-  Reno, NV

[Shadow]

...What evidence do you have that bolts being over or under-torqued caused a fire?

Probably the fire was the evidence of a fire. Just a guess. Under-torque, run some current, hit with a FLIR camera. To verify that we would need to know where to find the torque spec though? Easier to avoid liability to say "don't do this" instead of "list of torque spec (that we know of)".

While we're derailing the topic recklessly, donate today: https://www.gofundme.com/f/lets-get-right-to-repair-passed

Not that it's been my experience anyone who burns down their bike is generally concerned with using a calibrated torque wrench...

[svelectric]

So, I have no intention of adding an SB50 directly to the bike.  I'd be much more comfortable making a cable/adapter.  I'm assuming I'll need 1 SB50, 4 of those connectors, and an SBS75X, plus some 6 guage wire, maybe 4 feet or so.  Thoughts?

[Auriga]

I'll throw a warning in here that if you touch the controller bolts in any way, make sure they're torqued to correct spec with a torque wrench.

Last month we had a guy mess with those and burn his bike to the ground. Undertorqued they can cause arcing and fire. Overtorqued they cause controller damage and fire. Goldilocks of bolts. Expensive lesson too. Those controller bolts are one of the most likely reasons a Zero is catching fire.

or the useless silicon wafers inside the sevcon wear out causing a short and burn the bike down


What evidence do you have that bolts being over or under-torqued caused a fire?

Well Zero actually investigates fires, and I had a nice chat with the investigator. It's pretty easy to tell where the fire originates, and this one came right from controller bolt interface. And its not the first I've seen Owner had also installed third party charger leads there too recently
.
Not really sure why you appear to dislike the sevcon, and think its likely to spontaneously combust.

 If anyone needs the torque values for those bolts, I am happy to provide, I just need year and model. Zero will probably tell you to if you call and ask nicely.

[travbee]

I'll throw a warning in here that if you touch the controller bolts in any way, make sure they're torqued to correct spec with a torque wrench.

Last month we had a guy mess with those and burn his bike to the ground. Undertorqued they can cause arcing and fire. Overtorqued they cause controller damage and fire. Goldilocks of bolts. Expensive lesson too. Those controller bolts are one of the most likely reasons a Zero is catching fire.

or the useless silicon wafers inside the sevcon wear out causing a short and burn the bike down


What evidence do you have that bolts being over or under-torqued caused a fire?

Well Zero actually investigates fires, and I had a nice chat with the investigator. It's pretty easy to tell where the fire originates, and this one came right from controller bolt interface. And its not the first I've seen Owner had also installed third party charger leads there too recently
.
Not really sure why you appear to dislike the sevcon, and think its likely to spontaneously combust.

 If anyone needs the torque values for those bolts, I am happy to provide, I just need year and model. Zero will probably tell you to if you call and ask nicely.

Would love values for 2020 DSR.

[Auriga]

Here you go for a 2020DSR:
Brushless Motor Controller Cable Bolt   12 N•m   9 lb ft

[DonTom]

Well Zero actually investigates fires, and I had a nice chat with the investigator. It's pretty easy to tell where the fire originates, and this one came right from controller bolt interface. And its not the first I've seen Owner had also installed third party charger leads there too recently

How recent before the fire? And when did it happen, when riding, when charging?


And were the bolts too loose or too  tight? I am going to guess loose. There is very high current there  especially while riding which would be one very large spark.


Anyway, both of my bikes have been fine and for quite a while with the added cables.


-Don-  Reno, NV

[Auriga]

About a week. While riding The guess was loose, but that's harder to tell, not much was left of the area except some slag. The heat required to melt the bolt and the surrounding area must have been intense.

There's nothing unsafe about having charger cables added there, as long as the crimps and wire are solid, the connection is good, and the torque to the controller is correct.